CIF-SS Championship Capsule: Division 1

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This weekend marks the culmination of the Southern Section post season with 18 teams competing for championships across nine divisions. In this capsule we break down the names to know and things to watch out for in the highly-anticipated Division 1 matchup between Los Alamitos and Mira Costa which will be played Saturday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. at Toyota Arena in Ontario.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Los Alamitos</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Record: </strong>24-8 overall; 12-0 Sunset League (1st)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>How They Got Here: </strong>The Griffins defeated Vista Murrieta (83-74), Long Beach Poly (58-56), Rolling Hills Prep (56-54) and Crean Lutheran (82-57) to advance to the Division 1 championship game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>How They Win:</strong> Los Alamitos has ridden a wave of continuity and consistency all while testing itself against other top programs in and out of the state. The Griffins schedule included nonleague games against Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, which is in the Open Division title game, Corona Centennial, San Diego's second-ranked team, Carlsbad, and Classic at Damien top division foes Clovis North, San Ramon Valley, Santa Margarita and Parish Episcopal of Texas. Los Al is a senior-laden squad led by Colorado School of Mines signee [player_tooltip player_id='1630669' first='Trent' last='Minter'], versatile scoring guard Wesley Trevino, and consummate floor generals [player_tooltip player_id='2571749' first='Liam' last='Gray'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2571723' first='Samori' last='Guyness']. The x-factor for the Griffins is junior wing [player_tooltip player_id='2425673' first='Tyler' last='Lopez'] as the athletic 6-foot-4 wing has the size and scoring ability to impact the game on both ends of the floor.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Mira Costa</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Record: </strong>29-3 overall; 7-1 Bay League (1st)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>How They Got Here:</strong> The Mustangs defeated Leuzinger (70-58), St. Pius X-St. Matthias (72-54), Windward (59-48) and Santa Barbara (61-40) to advance to the Division 1 championship game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>How They Win:</strong> The Mustangs are a well-built and well-balanced program with a nice combination of size inside and at the guard spots. The interior scoring is anchored by 6-foot-8 center [player_tooltip player_id='2571728' first='Luke' last='Hammerschmidt'] and 6-foot-6 wing/forward [player_tooltip player_id='2571717' first='Eneasi' last='Piuleini']. Piuleini is one of the more underrated wing prospects in the state and his athleticism, combined with his ability to stretch the floor off the catch, will make him a tough cover for Los Alamitos. The backcourt of [player_tooltip player_id='2119930' first='Jacob' last='De Armas'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2119977' first='Christian' last='Kranz'] will be of the utmost importance to handle the Los Al pressure without committing live ball turnovers as the Griffins thrive on easy transition baskets created by their full-court pressure defense. If Mira Costa can handle the pressure and get the ball inside to its big men or via the drive, Los Al doesn't have an elite rim protector to deter shots at the rim. Sophomore guard Paxx Bell is the x-factor for the Mustangs as his ability to knock down open catch-and-shoot three's provides an important offensive boost.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->